Students’ Field not meant for holding agitations: KJP Assembly
SHILLONG: The Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Assembly on Friday questioned the authority of the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner for shifting the women agitators demanding implementation of ILP during the recent sit-in-demonstration, from Additional Secretariat Parking Lot to Jaiaw Students’ Field while maintaining that the field is a ‘private property of the church body’.
Maintaining that the Students’ Field is not an open space for political or agitational programmes to be held, Senior Administrative Secretary of the KJP Assembly, Rev NS Phawa said that this open space is permitted only for church programmes, government programmes, sports and tournaments to be conducted but not ‘political or agitational programmes’.
On September 25, the two pro-ILP women’s groups, Khasi Women Welfare and Development Association (KWWDA) and the Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO) attempted to stage the sit-in-protest at the Additional Secretariat Parking Lot but were prevented by police who instead took them to the Students’ Field at Jaiaw.
“The DC seems to have asked so without realizing that unlike other open spaces and fields owned, controlled or managed by the government or its agencies, the Students’ Field is a private property of the KJP Assembly,” Rev Phawa said.
Rev Phawa also said that the DC seems to have ‘advised’ the agitators without giving a thought to the sense of propriety and the implications it may entail.
It may be mentioned that earlier as well, many agitational programmes were held in this particular field after the agitators were picked up from different parts of the city and shifted to this field.